This invention relates to a ventilation control apparatus including a gasket assembly for use with a building ventilation system in a building.
Current livestock ventilation apparatus have many inadequacies primarily due to the fact that such ventilation apparatus merely draw a ventilating air flow through the building. Such apparatus fail to properly control the air flow velocity, rate and direction. Attempts to control the air flow have included regulating the speed of fans employed to induce an air flow as well as employing complex electromechanical vents to regulate the air flow. Such control devices are undesirable in some circumstances due to the complexity of regulating such control devices.
For example, regulating the air flow employing only fans lacks the ability to direct air flow in specific directions through a facility or to control the velocity or volume of the air flow passing through an uncontrolled aperture. Mechanical vents were employed to regulate the direction and velocity of the air flow, however, controlling the velocity of the air flow resulted in undesired flow paths due to the mechanical characteristics of such vents.
Regulation of livestock ventilation is an important factor in raising livestock in a healthy and efficient manner. For example, in a poultry raising building it is important to ventilate all of the poultry cages to extract the dust and the odor and substance of the poultry manure from the living area, as well as provide fresh respiratory air. These requirements are also important for the health of people working in the poultry raising building.
Additionally, it is important to provide cooling air to reduce or prevent temperature stress on the livestock. However, it is also important to avoid dramatic temperature changes which may, in itself, cause temperature shock or stress to the livestock. Therefore, as well as controlling the rate, velocity, and direction, it is important to facilitate the mixing of cooler intake air with that of existing ambient air. During periods of hot weather, the combination of the air temperature and the heat produced by the livestock, may require a substantial volume of cooling air.
Essentially no cooling air is required during cold weather. Nevertheless, fresh respiratory air is still required for the health of the livestock and the workers. Under cold weather conditions a minimum fresh air supply is required but the temperature of the fresh air must be controlled to prevent temperature shock to the livestock. Available ventilation control devices are unable to controllably supply the minimum fresh air requirements without requiring additional heating of the incoming air.
An example of a ventilation control system is found in U.S. patent Ser. No. 07/622,850 to Smith, filed 12/6/90. As shown in Smith, a long generally continuous baffle member is used to regulate air flowing through an opening in the ceiling. While this system is effective at regulating ventilating and cooling air, difficulty arises in maintaining a sufficiently small gap between the ceiling and the baffle member when only a minimum supply of fresh air is required. The ventilation control apparatus is typically employed in livestock raising facilities and may extend for distances of more than 200 feet. Under these conditions, it is difficult to maintain a narrow gap when minimum air supply is required.